Upper Feather IRWM (Adopted Final Plan 2016)
The Upper Feather Integrated Regional Water Management Plan was adopted in 2005 and was awarded a Proposition 50 grant in 2007. The Upper Feather IRWM projects are sponsored by the Feather River Coordinated Resource Management group, Plumas National Forest, Sierra Valley Groundwater Management District, Feather River Land Trust, Quincy Community Services District, and U.C. Davis.
The Final Upper Feather River IRWM Plan 2016 was unanimously adopted on November 18, 2016. The Plan is compliant with 2016 Proposition 1 IRWM Standards, thereby establishing regional eligibility for Proposition 1 IRWM grant funding
To see the Upper Feather IRWM Plan and other resources, please look at the Upper Feather IRWM website here.
REGIONAL DESCRIPTION
The Upper Feather River Watershed is part of the northern Sierra Nevada mountain range. The tributaries of the Upper Feather River flow southwest to eventually fill Lake Oroville, a major reservoir of the California State Water Project. Water flows from Lake Oroville through canals to irrigate farms of the Central Valley and provide domestic water to Southern Californians, and also to the Lower Feather River and beyond to enrich the aquatic ecosystem of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Oroville Reservoir is the principal water storage facility of the State Water Project (SWP), which conserves and delivers water to over two-thirds of California’s population.
The Feather River Watershed encompasses 3,500 square miles of land originating east of the Sierra Crest and draining westward into the Sacramento River. Elevations range from 2,250 to over 10,000 feet, and annual precipitation varies broadly from more than 70 inches on the wet western slopes to less that 12 inches on the arid east side. Vegetation is diverse and ranges from productive mixed conifer and deciduous forests in the west to sparse sage/yellow pine plant communities in the east. The Plumas National Forest manages roughly 50% percent of the watershed, while alluvial valleys are predominantly privately owned with the dominant land use being livestock grazing.
The Feather River Watershed has long been recognized for its recreational and aesthetic values. An abundance of montane rivers, lakes and reservoirs comprise the landscape, creating both summer and winter recreational opportunities. Water originating from these drainages also represents a significant component of the State Water Project (SWP) and provides high quality water for hydro generation, agriculture, industry, and drinking supplies for municipalities in the south. The Feather River Watershed is impacted by 140 years of intense human use. Past mining, grazing and timber harvest practices, wildfire, and railroad and road construction have contributed to the degradation of over 60 percent of the watershed, resulting in accelerated erosion, degraded water quality, decreased vegetation and soil productivity, and degraded terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Annually, 1.1 million tons of sediment is delivered to Rock Creek Dam at the downstream end of the East Branch North Fork Feather River (EBNFFR), of which 80 percent is attributable to anthropogenic activities. Long-term vegetation disturbance and consequent gully erosion has led to a dramatic change in hydrology, leading to reduced summer flow, higher summer water temperature, lower water tables, reduced meadow storage capacity, and a trend from perennial to intermittent flows. Many downcut streams no longer sustain late-season flow, causing adverse consequences to riparian and upland vegetation, aquatic communities, and downstream water users.
The Feather River drains from its headwaters in the Sierra Nevada Range into Lake Oroville, the largest water storage facility in the SWP system. Lake Oroville has a water storage capacity of four million acre feet and generates an average of 3.2 million acre feet of “firm” annual water supplies to both agricultural and urban State Water Contractors; largely through export pumping from the San Francisco Bay Delta. The North Fork of the Feather River powers PG&E’s fabled “Stairstep of Power”, a complex of four powerhouses, seven dams and four tunnels. The Middle Fork of the Feather River courses through the largest valley in the watershed, Sierra Valley, and then descends into the Middle Fork Canyon, of which 78 miles are wild and scenic, before flowing into Lake Oroville. Within the 2.2 million acre Upper Feather River Watershed, the land ownership is 64% Federal (primarily National Forest), 1% State and public lands, and 35% private. Plumas County, located “in the heart of Feather River Country”, comprises 72% of the Upper Feather River Watershed.
Contacts:
Leah Wills
530-284-7294
Randy Wilson
530-283-6214
The Final Upper Feather River IRWM Plan 2016 was unanimously adopted on November 18, 2016. The Plan is compliant with 2016 Proposition 1 IRWM Standards, thereby establishing regional eligibility for Proposition 1 IRWM grant funding
To see the Upper Feather IRWM Plan and other resources, please look at the Upper Feather IRWM website here.
REGIONAL DESCRIPTION
The Upper Feather River Watershed is part of the northern Sierra Nevada mountain range. The tributaries of the Upper Feather River flow southwest to eventually fill Lake Oroville, a major reservoir of the California State Water Project. Water flows from Lake Oroville through canals to irrigate farms of the Central Valley and provide domestic water to Southern Californians, and also to the Lower Feather River and beyond to enrich the aquatic ecosystem of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Oroville Reservoir is the principal water storage facility of the State Water Project (SWP), which conserves and delivers water to over two-thirds of California’s population.
The Feather River Watershed encompasses 3,500 square miles of land originating east of the Sierra Crest and draining westward into the Sacramento River. Elevations range from 2,250 to over 10,000 feet, and annual precipitation varies broadly from more than 70 inches on the wet western slopes to less that 12 inches on the arid east side. Vegetation is diverse and ranges from productive mixed conifer and deciduous forests in the west to sparse sage/yellow pine plant communities in the east. The Plumas National Forest manages roughly 50% percent of the watershed, while alluvial valleys are predominantly privately owned with the dominant land use being livestock grazing.
The Feather River Watershed has long been recognized for its recreational and aesthetic values. An abundance of montane rivers, lakes and reservoirs comprise the landscape, creating both summer and winter recreational opportunities. Water originating from these drainages also represents a significant component of the State Water Project (SWP) and provides high quality water for hydro generation, agriculture, industry, and drinking supplies for municipalities in the south. The Feather River Watershed is impacted by 140 years of intense human use. Past mining, grazing and timber harvest practices, wildfire, and railroad and road construction have contributed to the degradation of over 60 percent of the watershed, resulting in accelerated erosion, degraded water quality, decreased vegetation and soil productivity, and degraded terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Annually, 1.1 million tons of sediment is delivered to Rock Creek Dam at the downstream end of the East Branch North Fork Feather River (EBNFFR), of which 80 percent is attributable to anthropogenic activities. Long-term vegetation disturbance and consequent gully erosion has led to a dramatic change in hydrology, leading to reduced summer flow, higher summer water temperature, lower water tables, reduced meadow storage capacity, and a trend from perennial to intermittent flows. Many downcut streams no longer sustain late-season flow, causing adverse consequences to riparian and upland vegetation, aquatic communities, and downstream water users.
The Feather River drains from its headwaters in the Sierra Nevada Range into Lake Oroville, the largest water storage facility in the SWP system. Lake Oroville has a water storage capacity of four million acre feet and generates an average of 3.2 million acre feet of “firm” annual water supplies to both agricultural and urban State Water Contractors; largely through export pumping from the San Francisco Bay Delta. The North Fork of the Feather River powers PG&E’s fabled “Stairstep of Power”, a complex of four powerhouses, seven dams and four tunnels. The Middle Fork of the Feather River courses through the largest valley in the watershed, Sierra Valley, and then descends into the Middle Fork Canyon, of which 78 miles are wild and scenic, before flowing into Lake Oroville. Within the 2.2 million acre Upper Feather River Watershed, the land ownership is 64% Federal (primarily National Forest), 1% State and public lands, and 35% private. Plumas County, located “in the heart of Feather River Country”, comprises 72% of the Upper Feather River Watershed.
Contacts:
Leah Wills
530-284-7294
Randy Wilson
530-283-6214
